Kamloops

2014 NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR: Officer down

THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP NEWSMAKERS OF 2014. TODAY: NUMBER ONE KAMLOOPS – Most residents of the Batchelor Heights neighbourhood were asleep when several shots rang out in the early morning hours of Dec. 3. The sound of gunfire was followed by a vehicle speeding off, while the shooting victim, an RCMP...

Meteors, comets and planets kick off new year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Night owls and sky lovers get prepared to celebrate the new year in style, between the Comet Lovejoy and the Quadrantid meteor shower will both be visible this weekend. The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak early in the morning of Saturday, Jan. 3, but a nearly full moon and forecasted cloud cover will...

Winter storm developing this weekend

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - A winter storm set to hit the Southern Interior by Sunday could bring snowfall in excess of 25 centimetres at highway passes and could see snow turn to freezing rain in town. Friday morning Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for much of the Central and Southern Interior, including the Coquihalla Highway,...

Singing the stories of the Southern Interior

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Our region has long been a destination spot in Canada, and back before the Internet made it easy to share stories and pictures of your travels, music was used to share the beauty of our land. Tourism companies put out records with a single on the region, or even a specific city, while...

Where to toss your tree after Christmas

KAMLOOPS - Your tree was neatly decorated, the stockings were hung, and the presents were all perfectly wrapped and placed under the tree. Now the presents have been torn open, the stockings sit discarded in the corner and your tree is losing needles every time you turn around. It’s time to clean up after the...

Avalanche risk high in North Columbia

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - As the winter break comes to an end, the temperatures are warming up and the snow is ready to fall. You may be thinking about heading out for some winter but be prepared if heading into the backcountry, avalanche risk is considered high in some areas and is at least considerable in most...

Firefighter calendar sold out, $40K raised for burn fund

KAMLOOPS - The Kamloops Firefighters Charitable Society has met its goal by selling all 2,000 printed calendars featuring photos of local firefighters. A total of $40,000 - 100 per cent of the proceeds - will be donated to the B.C. Professional Firefighters Burn Fund to help burn survivors and build a new centre. In addition...

NEWSMAKERS 2014: Kamloops Daily News shutdown

THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP NEWSMAKERS OF 2014. TODAY: NUMBER TWO KAMLOOPS - The media landscape changed quickly in 2014 when Glacier Media announced in the first week of the year it would shut down the Kamloops Daily News. “Personally I am very saddened to make this announcement,” Daily News publisher Tim...

Hot summer weather just a memory

BUT WILL BE BACK SOONER THAN YOU THINK THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Winter is officially here. Much of the region is covered in snow and Mother Nature decided to plunge us into a deep cold once again. With that in mind we decided to take a look back at just how hot our summer weather was in...

A review of 2014 at the Kamloops Law Courts

KAMLOOPS - Both provincial and supreme courtrooms at the Kamloops Law Courts have seen a steady stream of cases this past year. As we count down to the new year, we present some of the highlights—maybe lowlights—from 2014. JANUARY — Damien Lawrence Taylor, 23, was arrested and charged in the death of C.J. Fowler -...

Second round of Ebola tests negative

KELOWNA - A second set of Ebola tests being conducting on an Interior Health nurse practitioner have returned negative, but a third and final test will still need to be done before she is given the all clear. Patrice Gordon returned from helping to treat Ebola patients in Sierra Leone on Christmas Day and it...

UPDATE: Name of suspect released in Cherry Avenue homicide; residents react

KAMLOOPS - Police have now filed murder charges against a resident of the 435 Cherry Avenue apartment building after police discovered the body of a 26-year-old woman Tuesday afternoon. Christopher Frank Butler, 41, was charged with second-degree murder around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The victim was Deanne Genevieve Wheeler, 26, according to police.  Const. Jason...

NEWSMAKERS 2014: The proposed Ajax Mine

THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP NEWSMAKERS OF 2014. TODAY: NUMBER THREE KAMLOOPS — On the surface, not much happened with the proposed Ajax mine; the environmental review wasn't finished and no decisions have been made. But the proposal still loomed large over public discourse in Kamloops throughout the year, making it our...

Kamloops man saved by border officers

SUMAS, WASH. - A Kamloops man on his way to the United States to take a four-month winter tour is alive today thanks to the quick actions of border officers and an automated external defibrillator. The 56-year-old man and his wife arrived at the border crossing int he motorhome on Monday, Dec. 30 around 3:30...

Weather warming up for new year

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - We’ll still be facing temperatures below seasonal normals, but it will be several degrees warmer for New Year’s Day than it has been over the past few days in the Southern Interior. According to Environment Canada temperatures will reach a high of between -8 Celsius and -5 C today and by the first...

Avalanche warning extended

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If backcountry play is in your New Year’s plan be prepared, an avalanche warning issued to the public on Christmas Day has been extended to include the Whistler and Pemberton area, and is now in effect until Sunday, Jan. 4. Throughout our region avalanche risk is considered moderate below the treeline but increases...

Kick off the New Year with the Polar Bear Swim

KAMLOOPS - You may want to ask for big fuzzy towels and lots of hot chocolate for Christmas if you plan on taking on the Polar Bear Swim this year. The Polar Bear Swim will run on New Year’s Day at Riverside Park. Fundraising organizer Linda Gayfer says the annual event is a great way...

UPDATE: Kamloops police investigate homicide after woman killed in apartment

KAMLOOPS - RCMP officers have a man in custody after finding a dead woman in an apartment on the North Shore's Cherry Avenue around 2 p.m. today, Dec. 30.  But after reporting that a suspect was "arrested for murder," RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Cheryl Bush now says he has "been taken into custody in relation to...

NEWSMAKERS 2014: Flash flooding

INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP NEWSMAKERS OF 2014. TODAY: NUMBER FOUR KAMLOOPS - A torrential downpour hit Kamloops fast and hard in July, flooding many parts of the city and causing a lot of damage. With reports of much as 20 millimetres of rain falling in 20 minutes, meteorologist Doug Lundquist said the rate...

Team Canada prepares for New Year’s Eve battle

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - On Wednesday afternoon all eyes will be on the World Junior Championship tournament in Montreal as Team Canada takes on Team United States in the final round robin game for the two teams. Canada is 3-0 in the first three games and went 2-1 during exhibition play after an overtime loss to Russia...

UPDATE: Highway 1 near Golden reopens after fatal crash

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - One person is dead and another in critical condition after a serious crash involving two tractor trailers that shut down Highway 1 from Golden to Revelstoke overnight. United Towing was called out to a head-on collision between two semis west of Golden just before 11 p.m. Both units were on fire at the...

Where to get your New Year’s Eve party on in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - Whether you’re looking for family fun or a chance to cut loose, there’s a party for everyone in Kamloops. Here are some different options with prices for you to take a look at. - The Coast Kamloops Hotel and Conference Centre in Aberdeen offers a dinner buffet with wine, party favours and champagne...

NEWSMAKERS 2014: The Kamloops connection to ISIS

THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP FIVE STORIES FROM 2014 KAMLOOPS - Few stories got more attention world-wide than the advance of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The terrorists made international headlines as the group spread through Syria and Iraq, taunted the West and posted...